“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20
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In the weeks leading up to VBS, our amazing volunteers worked hard to transform the hallways into the Alaskan wilderness, creating an immersive adventure for the children. As we kicked off the week, kids “trekked into the wild” for a time filled with faith, fun, and fellowship—diving into games, crafts, music, and hands-on activities that all pointed to one powerful truth: No matter what, we can always trust Jesus.
Each day brought something special:
- In Deep Bible Adventures, children stepped into the stories of Scripture and saw God’s faithfulness come to life.
- At Imagination Station, they explored creative science experiments and made calming Northern Lights bottles and snowflake handprints—reminders that each of us is uniquely created by God.
- Glacier Games kept the energy high with wild outdoor fun, while Tundra Treats kept everyone fueled (and a new favorite was born: fruit dip!).
Our local outreach focus this year was supporting the Saint Margaret’s Food Pantry and our partners at Common Heart. Children generously brought in food and kid-friendly snacks throughout the week, learning that even at a young age, they can make a difference in our community.
It was a joy to see the building come alive with smiles, laughter, and the light of Christ as children discovered that Jesus is our unshakable guide—real, loving, trustworthy, and forever with us. Whatever life brings, we can follow Him with confidence.
Soon, the school year will end, and many of us will begin to spend more time with family, travel to see friends, and take a little time to rest and refresh. The church even takes on a slower pace during these next two months. Preschool has ended, Sundays have less activities, and the staff all use this time of year to try and fit in some well deserved vacation time. It is a welcome time for rest, reconnection, and fun with those we love, and I can say without a doubt that I am ready for the long days of summer.
First, let me say that during this time of year, I spend more time in prayer. The lighter calendar allows for more time for me to spend in prayer and reflection. I share this with you so that you know that I will be praying for you and your families with great intentionality this summer. I will be praying for your safe travel, for wonderful times at play, and for incredible experiences along the way. I hope that you will pray for me, too, as a community that prays together is such an important calling of our common life together.
If you were able to be with us in worship on April 27, you heard a wonderful sermon preached by Reverend Sarah on the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John. If you were not with us, I do hope that you will take some time and listen to her sermon on our parish YouTube channel. In part, Reverend Sarah focused on God’s peace that was given to the disciples through the gift of the Holy Spirit. What struck me was her encouragement to not wait for life circumstances to change to find peace, but to embrace the peace already within us, even if we are experiencing times of uncertainty or chaos.
If you asked Christians today what the most important day of the year was, most would likely respond with Christmas Day. Our modern society has done a powerful job of building up the Christmas season, turning it into what now seems like months of celebration and hecticness, so much so that many of us need a vacation to recover from all the activities that have so consumed our lives during that season. But as much as I love Christmas, its season, and the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord, the most important day of the year is Easter, and Easter (along with Holy Week) is now almost upon us.
People look at me strange when I say this, but the season of Lent is my favorite time of the year. Lent is a season of repentance, sacrifice, and reflection, and for most of us those do not sound like very exciting endeavors. It is easier to get excited about warmer weather, spring flowers, and the beginning of baseball season, but the exercise of self-denial and reconciliation can seem like a time for us to endure before the joyous season of Eastertide rather than forty days to deepen our faith.
You each have gifts that have been given to you by Jesus through His Holy Spirit. Do you know what your Jesus given gifts are? Are you using them for the benefit of the church and the surrounding community? Do you seek and serve Christ in all others and combine your gifts for the greater good? I would suggest to each of us that one of the primary tasks we have in this life is to find God’s calling for us, acknowledge the gifts that we have from Him, and seek how we are to use those gifts for His purposes. And, as we strive to do that, to encourage each other, knowing that we are all of one body, and of the one and same Spirit. Each one of you is important. Each one of you has gifts. Each of you has an important role to play in building God’s kingdom. Let us, as one body and one Spirit, build the kingdom of Jesus together.
It is the beginning of a new calendar year, new possibilities are hoped for, and new blessings await us all. On the church calendar this is the Feast Day of the Holy Name, in which the Church universal reminds us of the centrality and power of the name of Jesus. It is through His name alone that we find life, healing, and comfort, and my hope for each of us in this new year is that we will be sustained by the power of Jesus, that we will be led deeper into His presence, and that in all our trials and all our blessings we will seek Jesus and Him alone.
In the third chapter of Acts of the Apostles, Peter is asked by a beggar who was lame from birth for money. Having none to give Peter says to the man, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. The man thought he needed money to survive, but what he truly needed was true healing in the Name of Jesus. The power of Jesus, and the invocation of His Name, was evident in the first century, and the church has borne witness to this His power ever since. One thousand years later, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monk, mystic, and abbot of the abbey in Clairvaux wrote about the power and beauty in Jesus’ most Holy Name,
The sweet Name of Jesus produces in us holy thoughts, fills the soul with noble sentiments, strengthens virtue, begets good works, and nourishes pure affections. All spiritual food leaves the soul dry, if it contain not that penetrating oil, the Name Jesus. When you take your pen, write the Name Jesus: if you write books, let the Name of Jesus be contained in them, else they will possess no charm or attraction for me; you may speak, or you may reply, but if the Name of Jesus sounds not from your lips, you are without unction and without charm. Jesus is honey in our mouth, light in our eyes, a flame in our heart. This name is the cure for all diseases of the soul. Are you troubled? think but of Jesus, speak but the Name of Jesus, the clouds disperse, and peace descends anew from heaven. Have you fallen into sin? so that you fear death? invoke the Name of Jesus, and you will soon feel life returning. No obduracy of the soul, no weakness, no coldness of heart can resist this holy Name; there is no heart which will not soften and open in tears at this holy name. Are you surrounded by sorrow and danger? invoke the Name of Jesus, and your fears will vanish.
To think of Jesus is to think of the great, infinite God Who, having given us His life as an example, has also bestowed the necessary understanding, energy and assistance to enable us to follow and imitate Him, in our thoughts, inclinations, words and actions. If the Name of Jesus reaches the depths of our heart, it leaves heavenly virtue there. We say, therefore, with our great master, St. Paul the Apostle: If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.
Beloved of Saint Margaret’s, in this new year of possibilities and blessings, let us not seek silver or gold, but Jesus. Let His name be upon our lips and His presence in our hearts, that we might follow Him and be made more into His likeness.
David in Psalm 62 writes “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” As Advent begins, perhaps it might benefit us all if we set aside a little bit of time to seek refuge in our Lord. I know that many of us are very busy in our lives, and December can be an especially crazy time of year. But can we spare a minute to stop, calm our heart, and reach out to Jesus? Sixty seconds is not a large amount of time, but I really do believe that these small moments that we give to Jesus can have amazing impacts on our lives and to those around us. Amid the cacophony in our world, maybe we can all endeavor to plan intentional minutes during our day to seek the Lord and to find refuge in Him. Faithful people have done this for centuries to great benefit. Jesus routinely left the large crowds and His disciples to pray. There must be something to this if Jesus made it a priority, maybe it’s worth our effort to do the same.
Can we spare a minute in prayer to give thanks?
Can we spare a minute to pray for the needs of this broken world?
Can we spare a minute to pray for the needs of others?
Can we simply spare a minute to listen for a whisper from God?
During these next few weeks, the Church invites us to live and breathe at a different pace. Please know that my daily prayer for all of us is that we can each find some time every day for intentional connection with Him, so that Jesus might become even more fully present in our hearts.
There is so much for us to be thankful for at Saint Margaret’s. Last Saturday we were able to come together and celebrate the wonderful new reality that our mortgage for the church is paid off. Worship in this holy place is reverent, sacred, and participation in our services is growing. We are blessed with an extraordinary staff, and our parish is busy in active ministry almost every day.
What do you think of when you hear the word stewardship? We use the term every year as the fall approaches and discussions commence about our parish budget. But, do we really understand what stewardship means and how it applies to us? There is so much in Holy Scripture that talks about money and how we should manage our wealth; it’s a spiritual topic that seems to be really important to God. So what is stewardship and what is a disciple of Jesus to do about it?
EYC had our Fall 2024 Kick Off on August 25th.
We had 71 students attend our kick off and we were thrilled to see so many students: those we know well and those new to our group that we will get to know!
At our gathering, we introduced our 6th graders and new members to EYC and our love of silly games, icebreakers, God, candy, and a decent amount of laughter and a fair amount of noise. If your youth was not able to make it to our first meeting, we hope they will join us at one of our next gatherings.
In addition to our field games and get-to-know you icebreakers, EYC will spend our first few meetings discussing how we are God’s beautiful and varied creations! Our guiding verse this fall is from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus and his statement that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
As you plan your schedule for the coming months, make sure you set aside time to join us at Saint Margaret’s for worship on Sundays. There is no more important gathering that you will have during the week. Jesus offers His Word, His teaching, and His very self to us in the Blessed Sacrament. It is vital to our spiritual health, and nothing is as important. Plan some time for prayer. Listening for the voice of Jesus will provide with guidance and comfort. Pray together, because when two or three are gathered together in His name, God has promised that He will be with you in a deep and profound way. And plan for time to study God’s Word. Being washed with the truth of His Word is an important way that God teaches us and directs us. Plan time to read Scripture so that through God’s Holy Word your heart might be transformed and your life in Christ might be renewed.
The beloved people of Saint Margaret’s have always been generous and have always stepped up when called. I ask that we all collectively do our prayers, listen for the small, still voice of Jesus, and offer back to him His offerings for His purposes.
These are exciting times, and I am so thankful for each one of you. What a blessing it is for us to be allowed the privilege of serving together in this beautiful parish. It is a blessing, and it comes with a challenge. Let us endeavor to be faithful to Him who is always faithful to us.
We are gracious with others because Jesus is gracious with us. We are called to compassion because Jesus is so compassionate with us. We are called to grace, forgiveness, and love, because Jesus knows us, knows our faults, and yet still chooses to love us so completely.
As disciples of Jesus, let us be gracious, kind, compassionate and patient, because we don’t know everyone’s whole story, and we might be the very people Jesus calls to love them in their distress. Life is hard. Perhaps by our love, we can bear with each other a bit more and by doing so, lighten the burden of someone who is struggling.
Rest is essential for our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In our contemporary world, it seems like our lives get busier and more frantic, and our ability to slow down and say no to the demands of the world on our time is becoming more and more difficult. Rest is something that God wants for us because it is good for us, and I fear too many of us have given up on the pursuit of a more balanced life.
Happy Eastertide! As I write this article it is officially day three of the fifty days of Easter. It is the most glorious season of the year, and it gives the beloved followers of Jesus the chance to give thanks for the resurrection of our Lord, and for the new life He offers to us and to His entire Church. Let me encourage us all to be bold, be public, and be unafraid to take the message of Jesus into the world so that all may know His loving presence.
A day often seems like such an insignificant amount of time, but how wonderful is it that God, today, gives us each one more day. One more day to be faithful, one more day to love, one more day to follow His Son Jesus. It strikes me that this season of Lent is in part about recognizing this extraordinary truth. We are called to confront our own mortality, finiteness, and brokenness, not in fear, but with grateful hearts acknowledging that each day is a gift, and each breath we are given is an offering of love from our Creator. It is so easy to take the gift of each day for granted, to just assume we have more time to live in this world. But, what would our lives look like if we truly did treasure each moment for the gift that it is and offer back to God our best to honor His amazing favor for us?
If you were able to attend our
most recent annual meeting, Saint
Margaret’s is at a very crucial
juncture. We have survived the
pandemic lockdowns, have a very
committed group of followers of
Jesus, and our church is on stable
ground. But Saint Margaret’s is not
called to survive, we are called to go
and build the Kingdom of God. The
task before us is to look forward and
discern what Jesus is calling us to do
now, in this place, to follow Jesus and
to do His will.With that in mind, I ask
your prayers as the Body of Christ, so
that, as a church family, we might
position ourselves to hear the voice of
God and to follow him.
The St. Margaret’s youth program had a truly fantastic calendar year full of fun programs and retreats, small group discussions, and a fair amount of silliness. Our students have taken Jesus’ call to make disciples seriously and have been inviting friends, and friends of friends, to our Sunday evening meetings. We appreciate the youth and parents who worked very hard to juggle what life throws at them while still managing to read all of Elizabeth’s weekly news and respond to texts.
The holy season of Advent is upon us. It is a time of year that brings joy, anticipation, family, craziness, and all sorts of varied activities. Theologically, it is a time in which the Church looks back in remembrance to the great gift of our Savior’s birth, while at the same time looking forward to the promised second Coming of Jesus to reign as Lord of His re-created cosmos. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means coming, which is where this season gets its name and meaning.
One of the things I love most about our parish is its faithfulness in attendance at worship. In the fifteen years I have been rector, it warms my heart to see families together, week after week, coming together in community to worship the Risen Lord. Our worship is reverent, intentional, and centered on God, and I am so thankful that so many prioritize our Sunday gatherings of thanksgiving. There is nothing more important than centering our lives on Jesus, and the primary way that Christians do this is through meaningful and regular Sunday worship.
“…we should always recognize the generosity of our parishioners and the attentive management of previous Vestry teams. With these contributions, St. Margaret’s can confidently move forward and grow, starting from a good financial position. Thank you to all who have given and served to bring us to where we are today.”
Let’s not miss this moment!
Every so often, one gets a moment of clarity when you are reminded of how blessed your life is. It can be a simple blessing; the sound of a healthy child laughing in delight, the wag of the tail of a dog, or perhaps the smell of a cup of coffee in the morning as you awake and give thanks for the beginning of a new day. At other times, it’s a revelation of something bigger, something amazing, that can make you stop and realize what wonderful gifts God has blessed you with.
This past Sunday, I experienced one of these epiphanies. At the 10:30 service, when I asked the children and youth to join me up front in the worship space for the blessing of the backpacks, I could not imagine the throng of young people that was to come forward. As I turned and watched everyone rise from their pews, I was overcome with pure joy as our young people approached the altar. Later that night, at the first fall gathering of our youth group, I walked in and saw 77 young people gathered. Elizabeth and our faithful volunteers were beginning a new academic year with these students, and the excitement in the room was incredible to see. As I went home that night and said my evening prayers, I gave thanks to our Lord for all the moments of the day. From the smell of my morning coffee to the grand excitement and reverence of the liturgy, to the sight of our youth group, I was reminded how blessed life is at Saint Margaret’s.
Jesus calls us together so that you and I will go into the world, proclaim Him as risen from the dead, and baptize all people while we obey His commands. That’s it. That’s the thing. That’s what you and I are to spend our time and energy trying to faithfully do. It seems so simple, yet if we are being honest with ourselves, how much effort do we really give? I’ve noticed that within our own denomination, we spend so much time, energy, and resources on a variety of issues, but very little effort on proclaiming Christ in our culture. Those individual issues might be all wonderful causes, but they’re not the thing! If the church is not primarily about spreading the good news; if it does not bring new people to the faith, then we have lost our way.
The sun is shining bright, and glory be to God for his wonderful blessings!
This past month was eventful for Saint Margaret’s Children’s Ministry as we held our Stellar Vacation Bible School June 19th-June 22nd!
We kicked off this amazing filled week of fun and fellowship with our “stellar” themed VBS with games, activities, crafts, and music as we explored what it means to shine Jesus’ light in everyday life. Even though the outdoor weather was rainy, you would never have known it because the hallways of Saint Margaret’s were filled with the smiles and laughter of children enjoying all the activities we had to offer.
One of the many things I am thankful for at our parish are the good people who have come before us, who have sacrificed so much and given us this beautiful setting in order that we might gather and worship the Risen Lord. All of us, and all our shared ministry, is built upon those who have come before us, from apostolic times to now, and I am so grateful for the faithful people who have laid the actual physical foundation and the spiritual bedrock that allows us to witness together in this time and in this place. Saint Margaret’s was founded 40 years ago this month, and from the very first prayers offered that day, Saint Margaret’s has served not only as a physical haven for worship, but as a spiritual sanctuary of prayer, service, and transformation for its people and the wider community around us. Not only can this building not be hidden, but the witness that springs forth from its walls cannot be stopped as we strive together to follow Jesus and help build His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.
God’s beauty is all around us, and if we take time to look, we will see it everywhere. I have always been so grateful for the people of Saint Margaret’s who have come before us, and that through their toil and sacrificial efforts, provided the beautiful worship space that we enjoy today. During my recent walks, I have chosen not to listen to podcasts or news updates, but the beauty of Brahms, Bach, and yes, Mahler. Yesterday, with ever-improving vision, I saw the stunning brilliance of a perfect blue sky, and listened to the sounds of young birds singing as the spring season begins to blossom. There is so much to see and hear, and I am making the intentional effort to take more of my time and focus on experiencing God’s wonders in the world, and to be grateful that He reveals Himself through the beauty that abounds and surrounds us. What an awesome and amazing gift this is!
Lent is a season gifted to us by the Church that allows us to focus on those things that burden our souls and keep us from a full and transformed relationship with Jesus. People think I’m crazy when I say this, but Lent is my favorite season of the Church year. I love the intentional, quiet time that I spend in deep contemplation, naming those struggles in my life that weigh me down and keep me from the new life that our Lord has offered me. Through worship, prayer, self-denial and the contemplation of Holy Scripture, it is a season that allows me to get real with myself and with God about those things I do that I shouldn’t, and about those things I don’t do that I should.
People think I’m crazy when I say this, but Lent is my favorite time of the year. I encourage you over the next few weeks, to make plans for a full Lenten journey. Set aside time for the liturgies and take on meaningful spiritual practices that will bring you closer to our Lord. Please, don’t let the pace of the culture drown out the voice of your Father calling to you. He loves you and wants to be close to you. Now is the time to ready prepare yourself for the season ahead. If you do your prayers, journey through the liturgies, and listen for God every day, I believe Easter will feel different for you, and the Passion of our Lord will be revealed to you in new and powerful ways.
This section of the Gospel of Matthew contains a central teaching of our Lord. We are called to love our neighbor, will the good of the other, and work for that good to become a reality. I highlight this section of the Gospel because I would like to invite everyone to a three-week course that will be offered this January during the Adult Formation hour on Sunday mornings (9:30-10:15) that will help us to live out our Christian love of others. Keith Adams, a parishioner and Co-founder and Executive Director of Common Heart, will present the Bridges out of Poverty Workshop for our parish. A fuller description is contained within this newsletter, and I commend it to you for your reflection and consideration. I believe that Saint Margaret’s is uniquely situated to have a positive impact in our community and can powerfully live out our Gospel calling to love our neighbors, and to use our abundant resources for the good of our wider community.
